The Penn State Football Show

Yea, I'm off to Madison. I will be there for my second time. The first being two years ago when JoePa got his knee busted and our offense looked like Groton School Varsity Football 2001 (before I got up there :) ). But this is a new ballgame. Penn State has the tools to tear teams apart and I completely agree with Pete about the aggressiveness of the playcalling. Against Purdue (on the road) they took it pretty easy. Against Wisconsin, you can't do that. This is a solid team that was a projected BCS player a few weeks ago. All that has changed now is their record, not the team. The Wisconsin O-line is MASSIVE, the running backs are physical and the tight ends are the best in the Big Ten. This will be a marquee matchup, and a test for a still unproved Penn State team. Yes they beat Illinois, but when you have a home stadium with the fan support and the size that PSU has, that is expected at home. On the road, in Madison, this will be a test. Although I personally feel that the Wisconsin student section is a bit overrated (only scream for defense on third downs, jump around overrated....wave though...SICK), this is a hostile environment and a stepping stone to the Ohio State game in several weeks.

Daryll Clark will run the show. Terrell Pryor, who runs like a pregnant woman trying to keep from miscarriaging on the football field , could have picked apart this defense, but he's too unskilled and inexperienced for that. Clark? Right now he's the best QB that the Big Ten has. He also has the best receivers in the Big Ten, a great line, and a running back that will be a Heisman candidate next season. They should tear apart the secondary, and the defensive line of Wisconsin, both of which are very mundane. Their linebackers scare me. They have speed, aggression, and want to kill someone. I like that....when they are playing someone else. Good news is that there are only three of them, and one has been playing with a cast the size of Noah's ark the whole season. With good playcalling, I feel PSU should have no trouble scoring.

That leaves the key to the game as making stops and not turning the ball over. The defense is getting better with every game. They are relatively healthy, have players back from suspensions, and are still hungry to prove to everyone that they are the team to beat in this conference. Always second guessed, the unit should play admirably as they have done so in past years. When I was at this very game two years ago in Wisconsin, the defense played extremely well, holding Wisconsin to 13 points. Only trouble was that we couldn't get in the endzone. From what I have heard through the grapevine, the left tackle for Wisconsin is a freshman named Oglesby who is replacing the regular starter who was injured last week, and he reportedly has trouble with the speed rush. Although I don't see UW passing too often while the game is close, this will be a factor if PSU can get a lead.

Look for PSU to pick tails never fails on the toss, take the ball, score, and put the game away. Aggressiveness is how this game will be won. Penn State is the better team, and asserting that is never a bad thing. Jump on them early. Jump on them often. The best defense is a good offense...yada yada yada. It's my sister's birthday on Saturday and anything less than a good shellacking is unacceptable.